Feelin' Like a Badass in The Division 2

The CPU and GPU in my new PC came with a few "free" games and one of them is The Division 2.  I was completely unfamiliar with the series and knew very little about it, but it has been my main source of entertainment lately.  Shooters aren't generally my games of choice, but TD2 is proving to be more than just endless shooting (although, there's a looooot of that, of course).

One of the non-shooting based parts of TD2 that has really grabbed me is the post-apocalyptic world of Washington, D.C.  The city has been meticulously recreated and it is truly amazing to see famous American landmarks and how they have been incorporated into the gameplay and story.  One minute you're marveling at the Lincoln Memorial and the next minute you're in a pitched gun battle with a bunch of various baddies.  The city is laid out in friendly tidbits (teeming with conflict and opportunities for shootouts) and exploring each chunk is fun.

The Capitol building looms in the background of a downed Air Force One.

Another exploration-based aspect I've been enjoying is finding the many collectibles littered throughout the city.  There are audio recordings that reveal additional details about certain factions, characters, or events related to the fall of society.  These recordings are cleverly tucked away around the city and often require some additional searching to locate them.  In addition to the recordings, there are also ECHO's which are a sort of digital reconstruction of various events that took place in D.C.  Finding these collectibles helps to flesh out the story and motivations of some of the major characters in the game.  There are also famous paintings and various important American artifacts (like the Declaration of Independence) hidden throughout the city just waiting to be found.  It's nice to have this variety of activities to do within a game that on the surface seems like a fairly serious shooter.

My baby agent...looking like a badass.

But, of course, the major draw of the game is the third-person combat.  I've had a ton of fun tweaking my talents, figuring out which ones work well for me, and experimenting with different weapons.  I like the way that there are several different factions in the game and that each faction has a different feel when you're fighting them.  The Hyenas are a violent gang who will boldly attack you with little thought to actual strategy--I love the little details like the fact that their basic soldier type of enemy holds their weapon sideways in a sort of "gangster" stance as they casually stroll around spewing lead at you (which makes them easy fodder for slaying).  The Outcasts have a very real "cult" vibe and utilize fire-based attacks (demolitionist/grenadier type mobs hurl Molotov cocktails and later there are flamethrower wielding soldiers that blast you with a stream of fire).  Their suicide bomber melee mobs will come wildly charging at you and need to be dealt with from far away.  In the first story mode, the True Sons are probably the faction that seems the most strategically sound--they utilize more traditional tactics and soldier types and are more prone to staying in cover.  As you progress through the game you encounter each faction and learn how to effectively deal with them.

Post-apocalyptic chaos punctuates every scene in D.C.

As you work to level up your character you travel throughout the city and discover settlements that are in need of assistance (these also serve as local bases where you can restock, stash, and buy/sell equipment).  Certain projects pop-up as you progress the story and as you complete them you get to see how each improves the settlement in some way--better food production, a concert stage for entertainment, better defenses, etc.  Each improvement makes you feel like a real hero and that you are helping the fictional people of post-apocalyptic D.C.

Most missions take you into major D.C. landmarks like the Museum of Native Peoples.

I've managed to level my character up to 30 and have worked through all the initial story-based missions.  Getting this far has been a real learning experience and. even though most of the in-game tutorials do a good job of explaining most aspects of gameplay, there are a few things that you have to figure out on your own.  Once I reached level 30 I was very confused about the three "strongholds" that existed.  In my head I had an idea that strongholds were designed to be a sort of group/team raid zone and that you couldn't complete them by yourself.  It turns out that strongholds are soloable (at lower-difficulty levels, anyway) and that you can progress the story by doing them on your own.  After finishing the story-based difficulty I wasn't really sure what was next--there were other elements of the game geared toward PvP aspects (conflicts and the Dark Zone).  The interesting part is that a new faction, the Dark Tusk, invades D.C, and the map essentially resets itself (the settlements/safehouses stay the same) with new conflict points and main missions.  The Dark Tusk are a more technologically advanced faction and throw out some more challenging gameplay.  I've just barely started the "invaded" missions, but so far I like the way they've upped the difficulty.  I also really enjoy the way they are re-using the assets from the initial levels and introducing a different story.

Backpack hippo is the best.

Without a doubt, the best part of The Division 2 is the loot.  There's oodles of it...tons of guns to choose from, crafting materials galore, and resource items scattered around in discarded luggage or at specific supply points.  Of all the things I've looted, the one thing I've been the most excited about is a ridiculous backpack ornament of a stuffed hippo.  It's super cute!

I'm going to keep playing The Division 2 until it becomes too hard to solo.  Then, I might take a stab at one of the other shooters (seriously, every "free" game I received is a shooter).